NewsLink, April 17, 2020
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Coronavirus Information

COVID-19-related research

• Baylor and the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center have teamed up to procure COVID-19 convalescent plasma from appropriate donors and provide it to the most critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection as part of a transfusion study. Eligible participants must have had a prior diagnosis of COVID-19 documented by a lab test and must have fully recovered with resolution of symptoms for at least 14 days before plasma donation. Learn more, and complete an online questionnaire to assess eligibility.
  
• Dr. Hoda Badr, associate professor of medicine in epidemiology and population sciences, and her team are studying the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of individuals and families in the U.S. They are recruiting participants to complete a one-time online survey. You will be asked to answer questions about how the pandemic has affected your daily life, health behaviors, emotional well-being, and family relationships. The survey may take up to 30 minutes to complete.

Today: Virtual townhall on mental health

Dr. Asim Shah will discuss and take questions about mental health issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic in a Facebook Live Townhall with Fort Bend County Judge KP George, today, 2-3 p.m. Access the townhall through this link. Shah is executive vice chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Baylor and chief of psychiatry at Ben Taub Hospital.

Lodging and shower facilities

Short- and long-term housing options are available for faculty and staff serving in critical COVID-19 patient care roles. In addition, shower facilities are available at the Baylor Gym on the 8th floor of Garage 6. Learn more and request housing.

Grocery and pantry items

Grocery and pantry items, including deli meat and cheese, bread, eggs, milk, grains and pasta, toilet paper and more, are available to purchase at Morrison Café at main Baylor. Thanks to cafeteria manager Garrett Lucas for making these items available at cost to the Baylor community.

HR COVID-19 updates: Childcare

Childcare resources are available to essential workers in the greater Houston area through a partnership of the City of Houston Office of the Mayor, the Harris County Judge and Houston Endowment. Learn more and register for assistance.

'Called to Care'

Show how you have been 'Called to Care' during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it is providing clinical care, researching new treatment options, offering online education to our students, keeping the buildings clean and running smoothly, or providing important work from your home. Print this sign, fill in the blank, snap a photo and share on social media with the hashtags #CalledtoCare and #BCMCares, or email to Anna Kiappes. View the Baylor COVID-19 Diaries for more photos of the Baylor community.

Awards and Recognitions

Navarro earns DOD grant

Dr. Jovany Cruz Navarro, assistant professor of anesthesiology, has received a Department of Defense grant through the Psychological Health and Traumatic Brain Injury Research Program for his project, "Leveraging FITBIR Data to Improve Clinical Practice." His co-principal investigator is Dr. Jose-Miguel Yamal from UTHealth. By leveraging data from five multicenter traumatic brain injury trials included in the Federal Interagency Traumatic Brain Injury Research Informatics System (FITBIR) and additional studies, they will use unprecedented quantity of data to develop mathematic prognostic models for long-term TBI outcomes.

Rosen named to advocate role

Allison Rosen, lead project coordinator in the Office of Outreach and Health Disparities in the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, was selected to be a community advocate for the SWOG Cancer Research Network. In this role, she will represent the adolescent and young adult community in support of SWOG's mission to improve lives through cancer clinical trials and translational research.

College News

Applications open for Clinical Scientist Training Program

The Clinical Scientist Training Program is now accepting applications for the Certificate of Added Qualification program. This one-year program leads to a Certificate of Added Qualification in clinical investigation, designed for academic clinicians who are interested in an in-depth introduction to clinical research and grant writing, but cannot commit to the additional years required to obtain a graduate degree. Participants learn how to develop a rigorous grant proposal and complete a K-23 or similar mentored career award proposal in the yearlong program. More information is available on the CSTP website and CSTP admissions page. Applications are due June 1.

CMS payment dispute

The Physician Payment Sunshine Act requires applicable manufacturers ("Industry") to report certain payments these companies have made to physicians and teaching hospitals. Physicians have from April 1 to May 15, 2020, to review and dispute Industry payments allegedly made to them in 2019 by industry, such as drug and device manufacturers. The payments will be published on June 30, 2020. Physicians should review and challenge any payments attributed to them that may be misleading or inaccurate. For more information, read the Open Payments User Guide from the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services as well as this FAQ.

HR news: Retirement Healthcare Savings Plan

Effective April 20, Baylor will replace the current default investment option for the Baylor College of Medicine Retirement Healthcare Savings Plan (formerly the Emeriti Retirement Health Plan) with a new lower-cost investment option and provide new investment options. Learn more about the plan, accessing benefits in retirement and more. Information also is available on the Baylor intranet, or contact retirement@bcm.edu or 713-798-1500.

Faculty in the News

Baylor experts continue to lead the way in keeping the public informed about COVID-19 through the media. Read the coverage in Faculty in the News, and follow BCMHouston_News on Twitter to keep up with our experts in the media. Interested in science news? Read the latest in From the Labs.

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